If you are new to the forums, you must register a free account before you can post. The forums have a separate registration from the rest of www.chronofhorse.com, so your log in information for one will not automatically work for the other. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Chronicle of the Horse.

Feeding large (800lb) square bales

Does anyone use the really big square bales? Since the discovery of Ducky's secret foal, I've been looking for a nice alfalfa mix for her because my hay is a local orchard/clover/fescue mix.

I found a supplier 2 hours away with some gorgeous 800lb timothy/alfalfa bales at $50/bale. I can get two in my truck but the problem is how do I handle these things? I'd like to put one in her shed, and use flakes off the other one (do these giant bales break up into flakes?) for her stall.

If it goes well, I'll buy a trailer load and have it delivered since he's also got lovely straight timothy that my boys would enjoy but I don't want to end up with 12 tons of monster hay that I can't move. So, without a skid steer, how do you deal with giant bales?

Please don't try to be a voice of reason. It's way more fun to spin things out of control. #BecauseCOTH - showhorsegallery

Right now, I am getting two such bales put into my pickup (one on top of the other, lengthwise) by the hay supplier on an as-needed basis. My friend and I work together since it's easier with two people -- she climbs into the bed of the truck and guides 2-3 flakes down to me. I put them on top of a wheelbarrow and go from stall to stall with it. Each horse gets between 1/2 to 1 flake per meal.

I can deal with it by myself but as I said, it's easier with two. My dream would be to have a flatbed trailer so my truck isn't tied up all the time. When I need my truck I either tie up and tarp whatever hay is in there, or remove it all and stack it under cover.

I wouldn't want it on the ground, even on a pallet -- it would be too hard to lift the flakes. With our hay, one individual flake is apt to disintegrate but a pile of 2-4 stays together nicely. My back does better getting the hay down from above rather than lifting from below... but that's just me. Others may have different preferences, or different aches and pains!

For the price, it's worth the hassle for us.

Arrange whatever pieces come your way. - Virginia Woolf

Did you know that if you say the word "GULLIBLE" really softly, it sounds like "ORANGES"?

Cool, is it the same hay fromn the guy on craigslist? i was thinking of calling him, but like you have never handled large squares, we get 8-10 round bales and can roll them off but i don't see how you manhandle a large square
anyway, for those of you who had them is it possible to unload it by breaking thm up into a more manageable size, like a small square or do they fall apart easily
one thing i have done with rounds in the past is back the pick up near a tree and then tie the bale to the tree and drive off pulling the bale off is this possible with the large squares

I used timothy/orchard grass big squares, and the flakes stayed together really well. The hay guy had a flat dump trailer... I put a tarp down, and he would dump them in front of my hay shed. I then cut the strings and moved and stacked the flakes. Took a bit of time and effort, but the hay was beautiful and it was much cheaper than smaller squares.

I also went and picked up two of them at a time, he bobcatted them on spears into my truck. Same thing, just flaked and stacked the flakes when I got them home.

He doesn't do them anymore for some reason, so could the OP PM me with your hay guy's info? :-)

Cool, is it the same hay fromn the guy on craigslist? i was thinking of calling him, but like you have never handled large squares, we get 8-10 round bales and can roll them off but i don't see how you manhandle a large square
anyway, for those of you who had them is it possible to unload it by breaking thm up into a more manageable size, like a small square or do they fall apart easily
one thing i have done with rounds in the past is back the pick up near a tree and then tie the bale to the tree and drive off pulling the bale off is this possible with the large squares

If it's the guy in Staunton, then yes! It's nice hay. Are you in the SW VA area? I was going to check around to some local barns to see if anyone wanted to split a trailer load.

Looks like my handling worries are over! My neighbor has a skid steer and will help me out with the big bales. So... feeders? I have some extra stall mats for the bottom. Has anyone used plastic pallets with a 2X4 or something slid through them to create their own rectangular large bale feeder?

Please don't try to be a voice of reason. It's way more fun to spin things out of control. #BecauseCOTH - showhorsegallery

Here's how I do it when I get them-
I set 2 of them across the bed of the truck so that they are sitting on the bed rails- not actually in the bed of the truck

Then when I get home I back up to a tree, tie a stout rope around the back bale and pull forward- viola bale on the ground.
Lather, rinse, repeat- second bale on ground. Then I just tarp the bales and pull flakes off.

PS_ I take the tailgate off before I pull the bales down so the weight doesn't fall on it and damage the tail gate

“While the rest of the species is descended from apes, redheads are descended from cats.” Mark Twain

I do something similar to what Tabula said. However, I pick them up from the hay guy with a little golf cart trailer. I pull into the barn aisle, lower the back ramp/gate and then run a heavy duty chain across the barn aisle between the bale and the truck and then pull forward. The bale runs into the chain and the bale stays put while I pull out from underneath it. (Ok, so it took me a few times to figure out the best way to get the stupid thing off the trailer!! This was hubby's suggestion and it takes no time at all! )

I just leave it in the barn aisle and put a tarp over the top of it so the horse in the stall next to it can't chow down on it! Each flake seems like the equivalent of about a half bale of "normal" hay (probably 30'ish pounds?).

I get mine loaded into my in stock trailer. It fits one of them lengthwise. Then I use the tree-.rope- pull out from under it trick to unload.
I back the trailer so it straddles over two pallets in front of the tree, so when I pull out from under the bale it is on the pallets.